Dear J.T. & Dale: My company just announced a “no Facebook” policy. It states that anyone found on Facebook during work hours will be terminated. Can they do this? I don’t know if accessing it via cell phone counts, and I’m afraid to ask for fear they’ll add it to the policy. What should I do? — Kayla Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: Ten years ago, my husband joined a start-up engineering firm. The company grew, and he’s now a VP with a department of 25 employees. He and the CEO have frequently clashed. Things came to a head when they got into a rather heated discussion and the CEO claimed nobody likes working with my husband and that he’s not a good communicator. Although he still works there, my husband has been job-hunting for the past two months. He’s been applying to job postings, but with no success. Advice? — Robin Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: Six months ago I was hired as the receptionist for a small manufacturing company run by the owner and his two sons. Even though each of the sons has his own assistant, over time I have accrued many additional duties outside being receptionist. As a result, I must leave my desk periodically. The owner has started calling me out for not answering the phone. I rarely take lunch, work late every night, and I’m so stressed out that I cry every day. Please tell me what to do. — Danya Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I had my annual performance review and was surprised, shocked and floored by this comment: “It is imperative special attention is put on the way some messages are delivered and how it comes across. The tone can sound demanding and harsh.” When I asked for an explanation, my manager stated, “You know what this is about,” and he refused to discuss it. I have not received any reprimands or warnings. Nothing. — Angelo Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My boss sent an e-mail letting us know we would be receiving our bonuses. However, when they came out, my name was not on the list. (I only recently became eligible.) Since we have a new executive team, my boss said she would get it straightened out. When I still didn’t receive it, I e-mailed her and she responded back “Rats,” and said she’d check into it. When she got back into the office a week later, she mentioned she’d seen my e-mail about my bonus but had not responded. I didn’t say anything but was taken aback since she had responded. I later realized she had retracted her e-mail response. (I had not opened the e-mail, just previewed it.) She said she’d straighten out the bonus at the half-year, plus get me some extra money for salary. Should I tell her what I know? — Chenny Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: My friend had a job as a manager at a nursing home. She told her employer she was pregnant, and the next day she received notice she had 30 days to improve her performance or would be terminated. She had no previous disciplinary actions. Thirty days later, she was terminated. She is now looking for work and needs advice. Her employer contested her unemployment claim, but she won. — Jennifer Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: I work in data analysis. From my desk, I log into an out-of-state server, and I support other groups all over the country via conference calls. I brought up the topic of telecommuting to my boss, and she mentioned her boss is not in favor of this practice. I suggested trying one or two days per week, but that was shot down. Should I take this to my boss’s boss? This would save me more than an hour per day and would be a boost in productivity. — Lathan Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: Last year I was dismissed from a job as a supervisor on a construction project. When I started the job, my immediate supervisor told me not to do anything without his OK. As the project proceeded, I pointed out problems, but was rebuffed. One subcontractor did a great deal of damage, and although I kept my supervisor up to date, he failed to deal with it. Eventually, the errors became public. The person supervising me was in charge of hiring and firing, so you know what happened to me. Now there are rumors circulating about the incident, and they all have me at the center of the difficulty. How do I deal with this in interviews? — Harlan Read the rest of this entry »

Dale: Every month or so, we offer up our suggestions for the best resources for careers or management. Read the rest of this entry »

Dear J.T. & Dale: What do you think about the concept of unpaid internships? It has always been a pet peeve of mine. It’s a two-sided problem, where as long as students accept unpaid internships, companies can get away with offering them. The way companies get around this being illegal is that they say the compensation is school credit. I say BAH! Am I being unreasonable? — Marissa Read the rest of this entry »